Geoscience is an enormous field of study accessible at many levels from preschooler to post-graduate, and for the interested non-specialist. Many organisations develop material to support the Science subjects in the Australian Curriculum. Earth science education resources are available in diverse media including text, video, animations, virtual reality (VR), and as field guides and apps when out on the rocks. Links to some of this material can be found below. Have fun exploring…
Discover Australian geoscience
Geoscience Australia is the Australian Government’s primary geoscience organisation and welcomes school students and teachers to a hands-on Education Centre, and provides teaching resources (including professional development) to support earth science education in the classroom.
Teacher Earth Science Education Programme (TESEP)
TESEP is a not-for-profit, national, teach-the-teachers program, aiming to enthuse, equip and develop confident Science teachers on Earth and environmental science topics (part of the Australian Curriculum). TESEP’s focus is years 4–6 primary and years 7–10 secondary. Events in all states & territories (except WA) feature online webinars and face-to-face professional development (PD) workshops for teachers and laboratory technicians, fieldtrips/site visits for teachers and class sessions/incursions with students.
This web resource is a virtual library of Australia’s Geology, and is a collaborative national project to digitally capture and document Australia’s diverse geological heritage and to develop educational resources to accompany these visualisations.
Wet Rocks is an initiative of TESEP. It is a valuable resource for both learning and teaching about groundwater, and links to the Australian Curriculum.
Geological Society of Australia
The Geological Australia is a partner of the National Rock Garden and it provides its members with a forum for sharing geological ideas and knowledge of the Australian continent.
The Australian Museum in Sydney has been educating society for almost two centuries about the wonders of the continent and its surrounding cultures.
Australian Earth Science Education
AusEarthEd aims to create, produce and deliver innovative, valuable earth sciences experiences, and to emphasise that earth sciences is an integral part of STEM.
This website provides students with interactive learning resources through gamified learning tools aimed to teach students about science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM), all contextualised for the minerals and energy sector.
The Energy Club WA’s education program provides school students education about the energy resources we use in our society. Engagement is achieved through industry experts engaging directly with students.
Questacon has geoscience-themed exhibits at its Canberra based facilities, as well as Earth Quest, a touring hands-on exhibition. Activities such as Biscuit Geology and Straight to the Core can be found on the website.
Explore international geoscience
British Geological Survey (BGS)
The BGS is in many respects the UK equivalent to Geoscience Australia. The BGS’s ‘Discovering Geology’ web pages host a range of geoscience education resources, primarily in a UK context.
